Our 9-year-old had a great time taking lessons here. The staff have always been enthusiastic and…read morewelcoming. The guitar instructor, Andrew, is really great at teaching to our child and getting our kid excited about music. Would recommend!

I work at Evanston Rocks, where School of Rock performs a lot. I just wanted to let everyone know…read morethat it brings me such joy to see younger people playing instruments and the music from generations before even I was born. I tried really hard not to cry through out the whole performance, but the closing solo during Hotel California got me. Keep on Rocking!

I came here after renting a clarinet from Quinlan & Fabish because I wanted to get a real…read moremouthpiece and not use the crappy stock mouthpiece that came with the rental. I got here 15 minutes before they closed on a Saturday, but never felt rushed. Bea showed me the new mouthpiece they have but also asked if I was interested in used. (That grosses me out a bit, but I was assured they're sanitzed). I looked through the mouthpiece drawer and actually saw 2 Larry Combs mouthpieces. That's what I played on the entire time I played clarinet as a kid/teen, and what I originally wanted to buy (only to find out they stopped making them years ago, so they're hard to find). I have no idea if I had an LC1 or LC3 back then, but they had both in the shop. I didn't want to try it out that day since I had literally never touched a clarinet in 23 years and didn't want my first time trying it to be where other people could hear me (lol), plus it was closing time. But I came back on Monday and was able to go down to their practice room and try out both mouthpieces, and ended up buying one for $50. Not too shabby. Both the guy (I didn't catch his name) who got me set up in the practice room and Bea (who helped me check out afterward) were super nice. Bea was a gem helping me both times. PM Woodwind also has my old ligature for sale so I may go back to buy one once I decide if I want to actually keep this hobby going long-term. They also have reeds for comparable prices to Amazon, and I'd rather support them than Bezos, so I'll happily come back here once I figure out what strength reed I need these days.

I've had 3 experiences with this shop. They're highly recommended, but unfortunately they're 0-3…read morefor me. Twice I took my horn in, and I never seemed to get even a fair level of customer service that I felt I should. I certainly am not a professional player which maybe would put me in front of the line, but commitments made were never met. I continually had to call it was one delay after another. I then years later was interested in a used horn they had on their website. $4,500+ horn. I received a quick response to my email interest, but EVERYTHING then has to go through Paul and he's TERRIBLE with any attempt at a timely response. He's ALWAYS going to give me a call TOMORROW. The employees there are careful in what they say, but it's obvious during my conversations with several of them, that they, too, are frustrated with Paul's lack of timely attention. I waited 2 months for answers to simple questions and finally gave up. I don't need to put myself through such unprofessionalism. I checked 3 months after my initial inquiry and it was still for sale. My original questions were simple due diligence questions. I would've easily bought the horn, but I guess they aren't too motivated to sell it. Bottom line? It's Paul's store and he can do whatever he wants, but I don't have to tolerate it.

Just started taking lessons with Eric today, so far so good :) My hopes with these lessons are to…read morehave a firm grasp of the theory behind what I've learned to play by ear.

I would highly recommend Eric's studio for any level guitar player. He teaches you how to 'see'…read morethe scales and arpeggios in ways that make them come to life in music. I have taken lessons before and never got 1/10th of what I have learned from Eric. Very relaxed atmosphere and a great place to talk about and experience jazz and blues in all their forms.

Rick is an incredible guitar teacher, and I've had several. What makes him so good? Let me tell…read moreya... First off, his flexible teaching method. Some teachers are sticklers about theory, some are the "just play" kind. But Rick is a total chameleon, where he can adjust to how you like to learn and what your goals are. I change my mind sometimes, where sometimes I just start asking about theory, and he goes right there with me. Sometimes I just want to jam as fast as possible, and he's gone me doing songs by Guns n' Roses, John Mayer, and The Beatles very quickly (to be fair, I had a few years of guitar experience before about a 5 year lay off, so it's not like I was starting from zero, but man he's good at getting you back up to speed quickly!!). I've always said the mark of great teacher is that they can go with the flow to teach how YOU want to be taught and what works for your brain. He can do that, absolutely. Secondly, he's very smart tactically, showing you how to break down previously-complicated songs into smaller bite sized, manageable pieces. Doing that has made some songs I previously thought were impossible suddenly possible. I've made great progress on a dream song of mine, Extreme's More Than Words, after years of trying on my own and quitting out of frustration. Lastly, he's just a cool dude to hang out with. I never feel like I'm being taught by a nun. More like an old buddy who happened to score more dates 'cause he spent his youth learning guitar instead of playing video games, and now he's teaching you. This is also a neat trick because I'm a 42 year old dad of three and decidedly uncool. With Rick, I change out of my pleated khakis and crocs-with-socks... at least mentally... ;) I've got a ways til I'm Tom Morello, but I'm having a blast getting there.

My 5 year old grandson takes lessons from Ricky. He is awesome! My grandson is very happy to see…read moreRicky. He knows when he shows up he will have a good time. He's extremely patient with a 5 year old. I'm excited to see where this takes him. Music should be fun and fun to learn and Ricky makes it happen!

It's my luck to have found Dave to become my jazz guitar teacher. He's friendly and resourceful,…read moreand very easy to work with. Dave is both a great listener and instructor. He cares about what I'm interested in and what I want to achieve. He took efforts to learn about me, and customized the lesson based on my strength and weakness to foster my growth in guitar playing. Dave has consistently been able to give me valuable advises in each class. He delivers his ideas clearly and right to the point. His demonstration is succinct but powerful. I have never seen him indulged in his own playing during our session. During my study with Dave, I have built a strong foundation on fretboard knowledge, ear training, and techniques which eventually led me to become able to improvise. The most valuable thing I have learned from Dave is to keep developing my ear. As a pro, David Dorsett has built a great musicianship in his career. His lesson reflects that, and it has a huge impact on me. He illustrated to me what a person with a killer relative pitch can do, and MAN!, how enjoyable it is! Now that I'm advancing and getting faster at discerning chords and intervals, I'm not only getting better at playing, I can also hear more complicated melodies singing in my inner ear all the time. And surprisingly, the joy of listening to jazz or classical music (or any other high information music) explodes as my ear and brain can process more subtleties on the fly. Besides teaching, Dave is such a great friend I have made. I found Dave through Yelp, which redirected me to his personal website. The first time I saw Dave's profile image, I was a little bit nervous to call, because he seems, meh, kinda serious on the image -- and you know, the mustache... But heck no, he's so nice in real person, and has always made me feel at home. He's so kind that he even offers to drop me off to the nearest Purple Line station when he is available. Surprisingly, Dave even knows a little bit about Chinese language and culture, and we talk about food a lot. I'm glad that I have chosen Dave as my guitar teacher.

I am a songwriter who leads an indie rock band in the Chicago area, and wanted to improve my guitar…read moreplaying (I'm a solid rhythm guitarist, but wanted to step up my playing). Dave was recommended to me by a couple of folks in Evanston, where I live. Dave is one of the more knowledgeable guitar teachers you will find. He is proficient in several styles, and is a master tactician who actually knows how to teach. He's also very well versed in theory, and knows how to communicate it clearly. Whether you are a beginner, or have some experience and want to improve, I would highly recommend Dave Dorsett.

I had the owner set up an older used Larivee that I bought from another Evanston guitar shop where…read moreI was told it couldn't be set better than it was. Hogseye turned a good guitar into a great one for relatively little money.

Jim is one of the best you can possibly have to work on your guitar. I have been bringing my 1970…read moreMartin D-35 in to Hog Eye for several decades and he does a wonderful job at repairing all the little and big things that happen to an instrument as it ages. Not only that, Jim is the nicest guy in the world. I highly recommend you bring your acoustic instruments in to Hog Eye for repair or tune up or if you're looking to buy something to play that's made out of wood.

Faculty is great. Friendly and passionate about teaching. It's obvious that the owner actually…read morecares about the students by having a clean and inviting facility with staff who are warm and welcoming and most importantly, knowledgeable.

My son has been getting piano lessons for a little bit over a year. We are incredibly happy with…read moreour wonderful teacher June and with the school overall. I never thought that my son would develop such an interest in music. He started relatively late, he was almost 13 years old then. I can not believe how much he has learned. This whole experience has been a pleasure for our entire family.

We loved the Musical Offering during the 4-5 years that our son studied there. Tim, his instructor,…read morewas great in mentoring our son, who learned to play lead guitar, bass guitar, and the drums while also gaining the confidence to sing. Tim would then arrange concerts around town at block parties, bars, and other events-- at a couple of them, the band members actually got paid! The levels of expertise and support were tremendous, and they have an eye towards developing musicians in a really holistic way (in contrast with other music schools that really only seem to train students to play 3-4 songs for a one-and-done kind of performance).

Strange business. You pay upfront for 3-4 months of weekly lessons. Then if your teacher cannot…read moremake your agreed upon lesson time, the burden is on you to find another time for your lesson. If you can't find a different time for a "make up" lesson, then you have the pleasure of paying anyway. No refunds even if it's the teacher who cancels.